


Far From Magical

by StreetSoldierin



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Character Study, Childhood Friends, Crying, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Injury, Iwaizumi Hajime Is So Done, M/M, Oikawa Tooru's Knee Injury, Oikawa still has shit ass emotional stability, but that's what he has Iwa-chan for, iwaoi and their perfect trust in each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:21:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23610736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StreetSoldierin/pseuds/StreetSoldierin
Summary: Sometimes Iwaizumi isn't there in time to catch Oikawa when he falls - but when his best friend finally pushes himself too far and injures his knee, they realize that maybe he doesn't need to be. Maybe they just needed to find balance in each other.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Comments: 5
Kudos: 158





	Far From Magical

**Author's Note:**

  * For [_Lucija_](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=_Lucija_).



Despite what people said, Oikawa and Iwaizumi did not share any kind of telepathic bond. They were close, yes, and they could read each other easily, but that wasn’t result of some fantabulous supernatural phenomenon, no, they had simply grown used to each other over the years and they knew what signs to look for to guess what the other was thinking.

Oikawa was known for hiding his feelings a lot, but Iwaizumi could see behind that act without much effort. Despite his supposedly perfect facade, Oikawa had many tells that betrayed his true emotions, one just needed to know what for look for. Iwaizumi knew what it meant when Oikawa’s eye were just a little wider than normally, when his smile stretched just the tiniest bit too far, when he was hiding his hands in his pockets or behind his back because he couldn’t shake the nervous habit of picking at his nail beds and didn’t want people to see. He also knew when the spark in his eyes was just the right amount of shiny, when the set of his jaw was unclenched, or when his lips formed a perfectly natural curve.  
Their synched up playing style in volleyball was the result of years and years of practice, hours spent honing their skills until Oikawa’s tosses started fitting right into the path of Iwaizumi’s spike and Iwaizumi’s timing being on point just by glancing at Oikawa’s posture.  
It wasn’t magic, on the contrary, it was very human, and that made their friendship even more special.

However, the lack of a telepathic bond also meant that sometimes, Iwaizumi couldn’t be there in time. When he fell ill in middle school for a week and Oikawa had to walk alone to and back from school, he twisted his ankle because there was nobody there to pull him away from the pothole he hadn’t seen, because he had walked like he always did, head in the clouds and eyes to the sky. There was no tingling feeling that something could be wrong, no hunch that left Iwaizumi worrying. He only heard about it after Oikawa’s trip to the hospital.

In their first year of high school, Oikawa fell again, and this time harder than ever before. Once again, Iwaizumi wasn’t there in time.   
The qualifiers for the Interhigh tournament had gone so well, and Oikawa had reveled in the feeling of being out there, of showing off his skills, and Iwaizumi’s heart had swelled every time he saw Oikawa step onto the court as if he owned the place. They were both first-years, but Oikawa had climbed the ranks to being first-string setter in no time, and Iwaizumi himself couldn’t complain about spending too little time playing in official matches either.  
It had all worked out exactly like they had dreamed it would in middle school, but then came the finals. Then came Shiratorizawa.

Iwaizumi had seen Oikawa in lots of states over the years, but nothing could have prepared him for that almost feral rage in his best friend’s eyes after they lost the finals. The way his eyes had been set ablaze when the teams had bowed to each other, that determined and rigid way he had held his spine a little bit too straight, head a little bit too high, taut like strings that were wound to tightly and about to snap.  
Oikawa had cried in Iwaizumi’s arms that night, but his sobs had been almost aggressive, no room for self-pity amongst the far more present self-loathing.

The last practices before summer break were held under a somewhat subdued atmosphere, though their senpai did their best to encourage them. Everyone felt more at peace after that, everyone except for Oikawa. Iwaizumi couldn’t really tell if his frustration stemmed from his self-imposed expectations, or the pressure he felt due to being a first year on first-string, but either way, he couldn’t seem to wind down.

It happened in their last practice match, and once again Iwaizumi only noticed when Oikawa was already on the ground.

“Oikawa!” He pushed his way past his teammates, kneeling down next to his best friend who was clutching his right knee with one hand, the other pressed tightly to his mouth by the knuckles to suppress the sounds of pain that were threatening to force their way out. He didn’t reply, didn’t react at all, only stared at the ground with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t believe this was happening, as if he could just pretend it wasn’t real if he stayed perfectly still.

Only Iwaizumi’s touch pulled him out of his trance and he hid his face in Iwaizumi’s shoulder, hiding away, not wanting to face anyone like this. Maybe Iwaizumi hadn’t been there in time to catch him, but he made sure to be the one to pull him upright, to hold him tight and steady and when Irihata-sensei drove them to the hospital, he didn’t let go of Oikawa’s hand even once.

The doctors gave Oikawa a stern warning, followed by a lecture on over-working himself from Irihata-sensei, and then he was dropped off at home with another telling-off and a well-meaning shoulder squeeze. Iwaizumi stayed with him that night, and wiped away all the tears that spilled over.

Now it was summer break, school had been out for half a week already and everyone was finally starting to wind down from all the emotions that the beginning of summer had brought, slowly finding their way back to normalcy. It was still eating away at Oikawa, Iwaizumi could see that, but at least the grief-like state passed and was replaced with a vicious, though maybe a little bitter, determination.

And Iwaizumi didn’t see it coming. Again. He didn’t get a strange feeling, the night seemed peaceful to him, he wasn’t worrying at all about the boy next door whose room had been dark for the last past hours.

But it didn’t take a telepathic bond to immediately know something was wrong when his phone woke him up with its urgent ringing at two in the morning, Oikawa’s caller ID shining on the way too bright display as Iwaizumi groggily reached over and answered. The shaky breath at the other end of the line was the first thing that registered in his brain, making red warning signs pop up when he closed his eyes to steel himself.

“Iwa-chan.”

He was out of the bed in an instant, mind not fully awake yet as he reached for the closest t-shirt. “Where are you?” It was the first question that came to mind, because he knew Oikawa couldn’t be at home, this wasn’t one of his calls when he had woken up from a nightmare and needed comfort, because in that case there would be a light on in his room and he would be standing at the window so he could see Iwaizumi, but the lights in the neighboring house were off and Iwaizumi just knew there was more to it.

There was a sniffling sound. “I…” He broke off as a sob choked whatever he had wanted to say, but there was a very distinctive noise of a sneaker scraping against polished wooden floor, and that was all Iwaizumi needed to know.

“Don’t move,” he ordered as he pulled the t-shirt over his head and then jammed the phone between his ear and shoulder to free his hands. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and his keys, already half-way out the door as he pocketed them. “I’m coming. Don’t hang up, stay on the line.”

Another muffled sob was the answer, but it was all Iwaizumi needed. They had long forgone the need for words when communicating with each other; every shaky breath, every sniffle, every sob was enough to tell him exactly what he needed to know, because he knew those sounds by heart as if they were an own language that only he and Oikawa could understand.

Iwaizumi ran all the way to school. The gates were closed, but unlocked, and he threw them open so forcefully that there was a loud clanging sound splitting the silent night air, but he couldn’t bring himself to car as he sprinted over to the gym. He could already see from afar that the lights were on, but he wasn’t surprised, or relieved, because he had known, of course he had.

He pushed the gym doors open almost as loudly, and his eyes zeroed in Oikawa immediately, though it wasn’t that hard when he was literally right in front of him. On the floor.   
Iwaizumi’s stomach was doing somersaults when he rushed to his best friend’s side, phone clattering to the floor when he just let it drop, not even caring for a split second if the screen would crack. His focus was solely on the boy before him, the boy that should be in bed, and not on the cold gym floor wearing practice clothes, shivering and drenched in sweat, and gods it made him furious.

His hand shook when he reached out to put it under Oikawa’s head, not holding him up but just providing some sort of cushion against the hard wooden floor. His voice, on the other hand, was steady as he spoke, because it had to be, he had to stay strong for Oikawa’s sake. “What happened?”

Oikawa was shaking, and crying, and he came apart under Iwaizumi’s touch like he was breaking into a million pieces, worse than Iwaizumi had ever seen him before. “Iwa-chan,” he choked past another sob, but no more words would come. “Iwa-chan…”

“I’m here,” Iwaizumi replied and gripped one of Oikawa’s hands with his free one. “It’s okay, I’m here.”

He didn’t need words for this, either. His eyes had already picked up on the angle in which Oikawa’s body was lying, taking all weight off his right leg, how it wasn’t bent at the knee despite the way it lay there.

“You’re such a dumbass,” he said quietly, not sure if he meant Oikawa or himself. How hadn’t he seen this coming again? This was just so much like Oikawa, of course he would push himself over the edge, of course a simple warning from the doctor hadn’t been enough, of course he wouldn’t stop until the facts were screaming right into his face like they were now.

“It hurts,” Oikawa sobbed, gripping tightly onto Iwaizumi’s hand so much that it probably cut off the blood circulation in his fingers, but Iwaizumi couldn’t bring himself to care.

“I know,” he replied, because he wasn’t one for sweet-talking things or empty reassurances, but Oikawa knew that, and Iwaizumi could trust that his best friend would find consolation in his words anyways. “I’m calling your parents.”

Oikawa’s eyes went even wider, trying to shake his head but not quite managing with the way it was still perched on the flat of Iwaizumi’s palm.

“I am,” Iwaizumi insisted. “It’s either that or an ambulance, so choose.”

Oikawa just let out a tiny sob again and closed his eyes, but of course Iwaizumi understood, and he let go of his hand for just a second to reach for the phone that he had dropped there earlier.

The landline number of the Oikawa household was saved as a contact in his phone, but Iwaizumi didn’t bother searching for it and typed it in by memory. It took two tries until Oikawa’s mother answered, still sleep-drugged and barely able to form coherent sentences, but it took her only a few seconds to wake up when Iwaizumi told her where they were and what had happened. She promised to be there as fast as she could, and then the line went dead and it was only the two of them again.

“Come here,” Iwaizumi murmured and nudged Oikawa a little. The latter picked up on the movement immediately and pushed his torso up a bit with shaking hands, just enough so that Iwaizumi could pull him into a more upright position and wrap his arms around him tightly, careful not to jostle Oikawa’s right leg which was still lying there rigid and unmoving as he tried to hold it as still as possible.

Every little sound was unnaturally loud in the empty gym, and as Oikawa’s sobs died down, it was only the sound of both of their breathing echoing around. Oikawa’s hands were trembling where they were gripping the fabric of Iwaizumi’s shirt on his back, in fact, his whole body was shaking, but Iwaizumi held him tightly and unwavering, steadying him.

The whole time they waited for Oikawa’s mother, they didn’t say a word. The way Oikawa held on to him so tightly it was almost painful and his shallow, short breaths told Iwaizumi all he needed to know, and in return his steady grip and rhythmic rise and fall of his own chest said all he wanted to say. It was just the two of them, holding on to each other, coexisting in perfect harmony, giving and taking and pulling at each other’s heart strings, just like it had always been.

Oikawa’s mother didn’t even try to separate them when she arrived, she just asked Iwaizumi to carry Oikawa to the car, and then they were both on the backseat, still clinging to each other. While Oikawa’s mother was switching between worried questions and scolding rants, Iwaizumi held Oikawa’s hand tight, a steady constant in the chaos of pain and fear and worry.

In the hospital, he had to wait outside for a bit, but when the tests were done and he stepped into Oikawa’s room, the look on the other’s face spoke for itself. He was at his bedside within seconds, reaching out, pulling him closer. He didn’t need to hear the word “surgery” to know that that was exactly what loomed over Oikawa’s head like a big, black cloud.  
“Dumbass,” he mumbled into Oikawa’s soft hair, but there was no bite at all in his words, and he knew Oikawa would understand. “You absolute fucking dumbass, Shittykawa.”  
“Don’t shorten your insults,” Oikawa whispered back, and Iwaizumi knew he would be okay.

Iwaizumi only got to know the details later, when the surgery was already well underway, and Oikawa’s mother told him that he had a grade three meniscus tear, leaving little options besides surgical treatment. It didn’t come as a surprise to hear it, of course, but it still hit close to home.

When Oikawa woke from the anesthesia, Iwaizumi was the first face he saw by his side. He tried to say something, but no words would come out since his throat was too dry from going so long without water, but Iwaizumi just reached over and squeezed his hand in reassurance. It would be okay.

Recovery was long, and stressful, but Iwaizumi was there with him every step of the way without Oikawa ever having to ask for his support, and life continued on like it had before. Since school was out, at least Oikawa didn’t need to worry about missing out on too much practice, and the issue of the knee just became part of their new routine without much trouble.

Iwaizumi brought Oikawa to his physical therapy appointments, and waited for him to finish without being asked to, and Oikawa bought him icecream after every session, just tugging him along to the store every time.

Iwaizumi carried Oikawa’s crutches when they had to take the stairs, and Oikawa used them as an excuse to get them more space in the stuffed trains because he knew Iwaizumi hated crowds.

When Iwaizumi saw Oikawa’s caller ID blinking on his phone in the middle of the night, he didn’t even hesitate to climb out of his window and in at the house directly next to his, hugging Oikawa close and reassuring him without having to ask what was wrong.

When they picked up the knee brace Oikawa had to wear from now on during sports, they were presented with color choices, black, grey, and white, and Iwaizumi immediately pointed to the white one. Oikawa nodded, understanding immediately. The white stood out against the black of his kneepad on his left leg, as a reminder, a warning, but also a badge of past mistakes that he had overcome, something that had ultimately made him stronger. They never talked about the color choice, but they both knew.

Oikawa still made mistakes. He still pushed too hard sometimes, he still got frustrated, he still cried into Iwaizumi’s arms when the weight of his own expectations came crashing down on him, but whenever Oikawa strayed too far, Iwaizumi would always be there to pull him back. It wasn’t a matter of not being able to catch Oikawa when he fell anymore, it was more like a tugging war now, and since they had always been able to fall into synch with each other perfectly, they found balance in each other.

It had always been a matter of give and take, of silent understandings and meaningful glances.

When Oikawa flinched one time too many, Iwaizumi walked to the freezer and came back to whack him over the head with an icepack.

When Iwaizumi stayed up too late studying, staring at his laptop until late at night, Oikawa would go up to the fuse panel and kill the wifi so he was forced to stop.

When one of them bit their lip too hard in thought, the other reached out to offer a comforting squeeze on the shoulder.

When either of them noticed the other’s breathing evening out, they turned down the volume of whatever movie they were watching and covered the other with a blanket.

It was all silent understandings, seemingly ordinary yet meaningful glances, a perfect web spun from giving and taking and trusting.

And when Oikawa inched closer one day, head cocked in a silent question, and Iwaizumi didn’t hesitate to lean forward and kiss him right on the lips, it only felt natural.

What they had was far from magical, and it was good that way.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a commission I wrote for _lucija_vukov_ on instagram, I hope you like it! xx
> 
> Anyone else who feels like commissioning, head over to my instagram @streetsoldierin and shoot me a message! Right now I'm taking any kind of one shot requests to bring a little joy to people in these trying times, you don't need to do anything but tell me what you'd like to read.
> 
> Hope everyone is staying safe xx Happy Easter!


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